81 people removed from Oxnard gang injunction lists, authorities say

The names of 81 people have been removed from court-ordered injunctions designed to help Oxnard fight gangs, the Oxnard Police Department and Ventura County District Attorney's Office announced Monday.

The people removed from the lists of names on the city's two anti-gang injunctions have not been in contact with police for some time, meaning they could have gone to prison, moved away, died or ended their involvement in gang activity in Oxnard, said Monica Muñoz, a police spokeswoman.

A petition to remove the names was granted by the Ventura County Superior Court last month, officials said.

Still, 276 names remain on the injunction aimed at the Colonia Chiques gang, and 66 are on the injunction against the Southside Chiques, authorities said.

The Colonia Chiques injunction was established in 2004 to help curtail gang activities in a 6.6-square-mile safety zone in and around the city's La Colonia neighborhood. Those on the Colonia Chiques list cannot associate with other gang members, wear Dallas Cowboys attire or stay out past 10 p.m. in the safety zone. Violators face jail sentences and fines.

The second injunction was approved in 2006 against the Southside Chiques. It created a 4.26-square-mile safety zone, part of which overlaps the first zone.

The Colonia Chiques gang is believed to be responsible for more than 2,000 crimes in Oxnard since 1992, while the Southside Chiques have committed more than 1,000 crimes, officials said.

Those taken off the injunction lists can be put back on them if they become involved in gang-related activity within the safety zones, Muñoz said.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Schwartz said the injunctions have worked well in Oxnard and other cities. Since 2004, Oxnard homicides have decreased 58 percent and violent crimes 22 percent, Schwartz said.

The prospect of getting off an injunction list might create an incentive for people to reform, Schwartz said.

"I anticipate that other members will leave the gang lifestyle and their names will be removed," he said. "We want people to know that being in the injunction is not a life sentence, that there is a way out."

The Rev. Edgar Mohorko, president of the National Police Clergy Council, said that while the injunctions have played a large role in reducing gang crime in Oxnard, community organizations and activists have also contributed to the decline.

"There are so many programs that offer alternative activities that also contributed to this reduction," said Mohorko, who works with reformed gang members. "I am thrilled to know that people have been given the opportunity to get off the list so they can have a fresh start."